The Senate late Saturday voted to pass a $1.1 trillion spending package, clearing the measure for the President Obama’s signature.

The final 56-40 vote marked the end of days of drama in both chambers surrounding passage of the spending bill, although there was never a real threat of a government shutdown because both parties readily passed measures to keep the government open until Dec. 17.

A group of conservatives and liberals united to vote against legislation, but were opposed to it for different reasons, stemming from the president’s recent executive action on immigration to a provision in the bill that makes it easier for banks to engage in risky trading programs.

The bill would fund the government through Sept. 2015, with the exception of the Homeland Security Department, which would be funded until Feb. 27. Obama said he plans to sign it.

Saturday’s vote took place after a day of political infighting on and off the Senate floor, most of it swirling around Sen. Ted Cruz.

But now sheriffs around the country are speaking up, issuing a dire warning about the likely results of a blanket amnesty granted by Obama. (H/T MRCTV)

They are warning of the coming increase in crime, disease, and terrorism, should Obama grant amnesty. They also they believe Obama’s amnesty will encourage more criminals and terrorists to join the millions of illegal immigrants already flooding across our porous southern border.

The president promises to lawlessly amnesty millions of illegal aliens on his own say-so, enabling them to get work cards, Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses, EITC, foreign travel documents, and the rest. But there are executive powers that he really does possess that he’s not using. Senator Sessions has helpfully provided a number of “lawful, constitutional executive actions” that the president should already be undertaking but isn’t:

Complete the border fence that Congress has previously passed into law;

Create the exit-entry system to track foreign visa-holders, which Congress has repeatedly mandated;

Cancel visas to any country that won’t take back its own citizens;

Stop the improper issuance of billions of dollars in child tax credits to illegal immigrants,

Enforce the currently un-enforced public charge rule for immigrants to the U.S., both legal and illegal;

Crack down on abuse of the H-1B guest worker program that is displacing U.S. workers;

Instead of suing states that are trying to enforce the law, target sanctuary cities that are defying the law; and

Cancel all meetings with pro-amnesty groups to plot executive amnesty, and instead meet with Chris Crane, Ken Palinkas, and Chris Cabrera (of ICE, USCIS, and Border Patrol). Instead of ordering them not to do their jobs, sit down with them ask what they need to end the lawlessness and restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system.”

My colleague Jessica Vaughan points out that the president has the authority “to deny admission to any alien that has (or cannot establish to the government’s satisfaction that he or she doesn’t have) a communicable disease of public health significance.”

And Christian Adams explains that the president has even broader power than that, citing the statute that allows him to bar entry to any foreigner for any reason:

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.

So, with all these lawful executive powers, why is he ignoring them and claiming powers he does not have?

The White House just announced two new executive measures for gun control. The announcement came to reporters via email.

“FACT SHEET: New Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence,” the subject of the announcement reads.

“Today, the Obama administration announced two new common-sense executive actions to keep the most dangerous firearms out of the wrong hands and ban almost all re-imports of military surplus firearms to private entities. These executive actions build on the 23 executive actions that the Vice President recommended as part of the comprehensive gun violence reduction plan and the President unveiled on January 16, 2013,” reads the White House’s announcement.